May was a big month for Hacking Portuguese as we hit 10,000 monthly visitors for the first time. That’s not very many as the webby world goes, but it’s a long way from where we started in November 2011. What began as a blog for me to share my accomplishments and frustrations has become a clearinghouse for those who love the Portuguese language and want to speak it better.
Now that it’s the summer for us norteamericanos and I have some more time, there are some changes in store. First of all:
You can now get HP posts delivered straight to your news feed on Facebook. Click the Like button on the upper-right side of the sidebar, or just visit our Facebook page.
I already follow StreetSmart Brazil and Learn Brazilian Portuguese on FB, and I think it’s a marvelous way to engage with the language in small doses everyday, not to mention an un-intimidating way to do some writing (in the comments). This means you can now also ask a question or make a suggestion on FB instead of in the comments.
I’m also planning a refresh to the entire site, including:
- updated design
- less wordy posts and more advice for beginners
- a comprehensive video series that will teach Brazilian pronunciation
- interviews with Second Language Acquisition experts
- a new page for European Portuguese resources
Most importantly, I’ll be rewriting and reorganizing the most popular pages with a focus on how to use all these new resources together. The landscape of language learning on the web has changed quite a bit since 2011, and although I’ve made updates here and there to stay current, students need a better guide through the confusing clutter of sites that are out there. Here’s just some of the new resources that have appeared recently that I plan to review:
- PortuguesePod101
- Duolingo
- Verbling
- Memrise
- Portuguese-flashcards
- Practice Portuguese
One of the things that happens when you learn Portuguese is that you fall down the deep rabbit hole of Brazilian culture. I’ve been indulging this side of myself (and practicing my Portuguese writing skills) with posts about Tropicália music and travel, but they don’t really belong here. All of these posts will be moved to a sister site, Brazil Made Me Smart, so that we can stay focused on the language.
Also going up on the new site will be a travelogue about my time in Rio, provisionally titled Deriva: Rio for musicians, introverts and flâneurs which will uncover a more intimate side of Rio. You will learn such things as how to ascend Corcovado on foot (both the sanctioned and unsanctioned routes), how to enjoy the views from the Morro da Urca without waiting in line for the tram, how to get lost in the alleys of O Centro, and how to stumble into impromptu rodas de capoeira in the becos of Lapa. We’ll talk about the neighborhoods that reward undirected exploration, the hidden stairways and museums of Santa Teresa, the winding mountain road that is a biker’s paradise, and the park full of creepy ruins in the forest that is hands down more exciting than the Jardim Botânico. We’ll consider the ethics of favela tourism, and whether it is really wise for a solo gringa to be doing all these things.
So, fique atenado (stay tuned)!
Thanks for your plans to add more European Portuguese. I’m trying to learn, but there doesn’t seem to be many good resources. I am currently studying using Pimsleur’s 10 unit course, and not sure where to go next… probably Michel Thomas. I’ve used some online stuff for variety, and there is only one podcast I cam across for EU PT (“one minute portuguese”). Despite living in NJ where there is a large European Portuguese community, adult education for European Portuguese seems to have faded away and is replaced by Brazilian.
I don’t want to use Brazilian materials, as languages are hard enough for me and I don’t want to learn the wrong accent and wrong words – and then have to try to re-learn them later. It’ll be difficult enough to have people understand me.
Obrigado.
Hi John, check out this site that I just discovered this week. Lots of audio and it’s all European dialect:
http://www.practiceportuguese.com/
Also, the audio for the textbook Ponto de Encontro is hosted online for free, and it comes in both dialects — find it here.
There is definitely a lack of EP material out there, I’m going to see what else I can find as I update the site.
Oi Lauren! Vou ficar antenada sim, obrigada! Hoje começa o curso de Português para Falantes de Espanhol aqui em UMD, então você deve receber mais visitas nas próximas semanas. Um grande abraço!
E aí professora! Eu acho muito bacana você evangelizando a língua brasileira na universidade, e desejo pra vc muitíssimo sucesso com o curso e com os próximos passos seus. Obrigada por compartilhar HP com os alunos também. Vou ficar em contato sempre que eu for visitar os meus pais em Maryland, talvez a gente tome um cafezinho juntos. Bom verão!
Hi Lauren, I just wanted to say a quick thanks. I was checking out our site’s analytics and saw a few hits coming from this page, and saw that you are planning to review our site (I’m one of the co-creators of the Practice Portuguese podcast).
Let me know if you want me to give you free access to our premium features and I’ll definitely hook you up. Thanks for taking an interest in our work. There’s also lots here at this site that I’ll be checking out myself!
Oi sumida! Ótimo site, mas quando voce vai voltar? Voce nao escreveu nada para muito tempo agora.
To voltando! Sumi por causa do meu programa de pós-graduação, mas os postes vão continuar em breve :-)
E aí, tudo bom? Você desistiu?
E aí Asbjørn, não desisti não! Mas comecei recentemente um programa de pós-graduação em Administração e Ciência do Meio-Ambiente, e por isso não tenho tanto tempo do que no passado.
LOL at the 10.000 cruzeiros bill :D